Happily ever after -- NOT
by MakatSantillan
Summary: Have you ever wondered what happened to the characters of Rune Factory after their stories finished? Here is a look at what happened, and it is not as pretty as many would have pictured it. The world of Rune Factory receives a darker turn, expect major character deaths! Some of this chapters will have as wife my fav bachelorette. Explicit content inside, proceed at your own risk.


Another peaceful day in the town of Selphia…. I went out with daddy into the Selphia plains, it seems that today we will train a little on how to battle monsters.

"Okay. C'mon here, Noel." Daddy says and I approach him. "Here." He takes out from his backpack a spear, a training one. "This won't hurt as much, but you'll be able to send that woolie back to the Forest of Begginings."

"But I don't wanna kill the woolie, daddy."

Daddy laughs a little.

"You won't kill it Noel, see this weapon? It has a spell cast onto it, so instead of killing the monster, you'll just be sending it back to where it belongs."

"Are you sure?"

"Completely."

"Okay then." I take the spear from daddy. I don't know why, but it feels really natural as I hold it in my hands. I feel that I could strike down even a buffamoo.

"Heh, you seem like a natural. Try striking the woolie with it."

"Alright." I approach the little woolie, which looks a little dazzled. "I'm sorry, little friend." I thrust the spear attempting to strike it and I hit it rather hard. Without a second thought, my body moves on its own and I take the spear back and strike the woolie with the rear of the lance. And just like that, the woolie disappears in a torrent of light.

"I did it?"

"You sure did." Daddy puts his hand in my shoulder. "And real well. I'm proud of you, little boy."

"T-thanks!"

After that, daddy and I spent some more time training. It was already evening before I knew it.

"You did great Noel! You got more than I!"

I don't notice it, but someone creeps up behind us.

"Lest! What are you doing out here so late with Noel?" Mommy just arrived.

"Mommy!" I run to her and hug her leg. Her big dress is a little on the way, but I manage just fine.

"Hey, onii-chan! I was hugging her first!" The little voice says from behind her other leg. My little sister, Luna, pops up from behind it.

"Luna, no fighting with Noel, now."

"You're spoiling a little too much the kids, Dolce." Daddy approaches with a big smile on his face. "I was just teaching Noel how to defend himself."

"I…. Am all right with that. But I don't want him to get hurt." She kneels and gets in front of my face. Her usual cold expression changes for a big, warm smile as she takes out her handkerchief and cleans something from my cheek.

"Thanks, mommy."

Luna puffs her cheeks and then sticks her tongue out. We then return to the house. Luna and me return to our room and mommy and daddy stay in theirs. It is time to sleep.

"Hey, Dolce." Lest stretches his hand and takes Dolce's.

"Hmm?" Dolce turns to look at him.

"Thanks… For Luna and Noel."

"Well, not everyday you get twins. So be a little more grateful."

"Heh." Lest smiles at the thought of it. "They are already five years old…"

"Yeah…"

"He has your hair, you know?"

"And she has yours."

"Yeah? She has your eyes too."

"And he has yours, too."

Both of them just smile at each other, and then hug each other. Cuddling and whatnot, both of them fall asleep.

"They really just can't stop flirting, can they?" Pico says, watching from the shadows.

The dawn of a new day greets them, but… They are up for a rude awakening.

An explosion is heard all throughout the city. Lest immediately leaves his bed and gets dressed, then he takes his weapon and goes out of the castle.

He is relieved to see that it was just the town's gate, which was destroyed, no major damage to anything else.

Still, uncertainty is still in his mind.

Forte arrives little after, as well as Dylas, Leon, Volkanon, Bado and Doug.

"What has happened, Lest?!"

"I don't really know… But this is bad."

"Dammit! Who dares mess with us now?!"

"Calm down, Dylas. If we want to get to the core of this, we need to be level-headed." Though he says so, Leon is already in a battle stance.

"Sir Lest!" Volkanon uses his body as a shield as a big fireball approaches Lest from behind. His back is injured badly, but he is still standing. "Get out here, coward!"

Bado unsheathes his sword, as well as Doug.

They did not expect the young, white haired man that came out from the shadows.

"Hello, town of Selphia. I hope you can recognize me."

Lest is at a loss of words.

"E-Ethelberd?!"

The guy starts laughing, maniacally.

"Not quiet… I am his son! Lathorberd!"

"He had a son…?"

Ventuswill storms out of the castle, extremely angry.

"So what? Just because you're the son of that stupid, you think you can come to OUR little town and disrupt peace? As the Native Dragon I am, I shall not allow such a foolish behaviour."

"Don't get me wrong. I am not like the geezer. I don't search for godlike power… But even so, I will not let his dead go unavenged!" He charges up a spell in his hand and releases it.

"GET DOWN!" Lest orders everyone to get down.

When the little light ball reaches the centre, it explodes rather loudly and with a really big AoE.

Lathorberd laughs maniacally and holds his face with his hand.

"I do not search for godlike power because I already have it!"

Everyone looks at him with disbelief.

Meanwhile, inside the castle, Dolce is in the room where her kids were sleeping.

"Mommy what's happening?" Luna asks her.

"I don't know…" Dolce kneels and hugs both twins. "But I'm sure daddy will make it go away."

Noel seems sad. His look seems to have no life at all.

Back to the city square, Lotherberd continues rampaging. Several buildings are crumbling and soldiers appear from every little corner in Selphia. The villagers are doing their best to hold them off, but there's a limit to what they can do.

"Why are you doing this?!" Lest crosses swords with Lotherberd.

"I want to make all Earthmates go extinct! That way no one will interfere with my plans!" Lotherberd parries Lest's sword, then hits him and sends him flying.

Lotherberd walks to where Lest is, trying to get up. He stomps on him.

"And since I don't want any kind of stupid remnant to be left, I'll destroy your WHOLE town!"

Lest takes Lotherberd's feet and starts getting up.

"Do you really think I'll allow… THAT?!" In a burst of adrenaline, Lest gets up and pushes Lotherberd down.

"How dare you..? HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME?!" Lotherberd is enraged and Lest readies his sword.

Bado is fending off some soldiers, with Forte at his back.

"There are too many."

"What are the Sechs trying to do now?"

Bado spots Lest fighting Lotherberd. The difference in power is huge.

"Tch… If we don't help him…" Bado parries the attack of a soldier and then slashes another one's chest. An idea seems to pop in his mind. "I need you to cover me, Forte!"

"What?" Forte looks at him. The determination in his eyes doesn't make her doubt. "I understand. Go!" Forte slashes with her sword in a mid-circle and fends off the soldiers.

Bado runs off, directed to his shop. He returns little after with a pair of swords that look rather dangerous.

"LEST!" Bado throws both swords at Lest. "CATCH!"

Lest catches both swords. "Is this…?" Lest looks amazed. "How did you get this, Bado?"

"It is the work of a lifetime. Be sure to use them well." Bado turns around and continues to battle against the Sech soldiers.

"Do you really think just swords will make a difference here?" Lotherberd smiles confidently. Lest moves at an uncanny speed. He slashes forward and gets Lotherberd on his arm.

"What?!"

"These aren't just any weapons. These are the Twin Justice."

"So what?!"

"This weapon carries over the feelings and desires of the town. With this weapon, I cannot lose!" Lest starts attacking Lotherberd relentlessly. He has no other option but to defend himself.

"Tch. This will have to wait, then." He pushes Lest back. "SOLDIERS! We need to retreat! Finish anything you were doing and report back. "

Many soldiers retreat instantly, others finish destroying the buildings they were attacking.

Bado is fighting the soldiers with all his might, but he cannot counterattack when a soldier spears him. His will doesn't falter, though. With the spear inside his chest, he manages to finish of the soldiers around him. He then drops to his knees and lastly falls to the ground. Kiel, who was on his way out from evacuating some tourists through the Obsidian Mansion, sees the whole thing. His eyes tear up and he tries to reach Bado.

"Bado! No!" As he was about to reach him, an arm gets around him and pulls him. His sister forcefully drags Kiel back.

"He is already dead. There's nothing else we can do."

"How can you say that?! Maybe, just maybe…" Kiel looks at his sister. Forte's tears are already rolling down her cheeks. Kiel has no option but to accept cruel reality.

Xiao Pai and Lin Fa are helping people evacuate. Yang Fa, who decided to visit in the worst time of them all, is fending off the soldiers.

"Please, evacuate quickly! Be sure not to trip, yes?"

"There are too many! I don't know how much I'll be able to fend off!" Yang Fan is gasping for air as he holds his axe.

"There are just a little more, papa, it's almost over!"

"I hope so… Agh!" Yang Fa is hit on the joints of the knees and falls on them.

"PAPA!" Both girls say.

Xiao Pai tries to go to where her father is, but Lin Fa stops her.

"Mama?"

"You need to go, Xiao."

"What are you saying?"

"Go and live on. We want that for you." Lin Fa smiles for the last time for Xiao Pai.

"Wait, no!" A soldier arrives and carries Xiao Pai with his arm.

"We need to leave, Miss Xiao Pai."

"I won't leave mama and papa behind!"

"We must! I'm so very sorry."

"NOOOO!"

Xiao Pai looks from the distance as Lin Fa hurries over to Yang Fa, spear in hand. Both of them fight the Sech soldiers, but are unable to fend them off. After a while, both of them are defeated and eventually, killed.

The general store starts to crumble. Blossom makes it out just in time. Sechs don't delay to surround her. Doug is able to break through the hordes of soldiers on his own.

"Granny Blossom!" He swings his sword trying to make the soldiers back down. Shortly after, Dylas arrives and helps Doug fend off the soldiers. But again, there are just too many.

"Tsk. They will overrun us, eventually."

"I'm not gonna leave Granny Blossom here, dammit!"

Blossom calmly puts her hand in Doug's shoulder and smiles at him.

"Granny…?"

She then nods at Dylas and he nods back. He hits Doug in his chin and knocks him out. He then puts him in his shoulder.

"Are you really sure?"

"I am just an old woman, dear. It is better for you younglings to survive and have a better use for your lives."

"I… Am so sorry."

Dylas storms off with Doug in his shoulder.

"AHHHHHHH!" He clears the path of Sech soldiers and is able to escape.

"What are waiting for?! Go after him!" A commander of the Sechs says.

"I will not let you do that!" Blossom uses her last bits of energy and slams her baton on the ground. She is able to create a real big fire wave that takes out some of the soldiers, but it wasn't enough to wipe them all out.

"Bitch. You're done." The commander approaches her and raises his sword.

"You're just killing an old woman, dear. I must say that I had no regrets in my life."

The commander cracks his tongue and slashes with his sword at Blossom. The head of the elderly falls off, as well as her body.

"BRAVO!" Margaret uses one of her spells to keep the Sechs at bay. She is with Porcoline in his kitchen, trying to hide Arthur.

"Just give us the prince and we might think of letting you go, pointy ears!"

"I will never let you do that! Arthur is not only my friend, but also part of my family!"

"Hah! You hear this bitch?! She thinks of a human as her own family! Know your place!" The soldier thrust his sword against Margaret, but Porcoline is able to parry the sword with one of his kitchen utensils.

"Don't you dare touch my family!" Porcoline, in a fit of adrenaline, throws himself at the soldier, Acuotorimass in hand and starts fencing with him.

"Shit, how can this fatty be so good at this?!"

"But he ain't nothing against three of us!" Another one strikes Porcoline from the side with his hammer. The other one gets him in the ribs with his axe.

Margaret is shocked because of the gruesome image in front of her.

"P-Porco!" Is the only thing that escapes her lips.

Porcoline, in his last breaths, orders Margaret to do something.

"M-Meggy… Get Arthur and… Run!"

"B-but…"

"JUST DO IT!" Porcoline grabs the sword of the Sech soldier and puts him even further inside him. "You aren't going anywhere, boy."

"Someone get the elf!" Margaret already stormed off Porcoline's kitchen and out with Arthur.

One of the soldiers runs after Margaret, but Porcoline throws at him one of his Acuotorimass and gets him in the joints of the knees, making the guy fall.

"Frigging piggy!" The soldiers surround Porcoline. One slashes his sword down and injures him. The one with his sword still in his body, thrusts it even deeper until it eventually pierces Porcoline's body and gets out by the other side, he then brings it up and cuts his shoulder.

"Let's leave it at that. That's dead as dead can be."

Margaret runs with Arthur, trying to get to the city plaza where Lest is. But before they arrive, Arthur pushes her.

"Go."

"But Arthur!"

"I said go! A stinking elf isn't allowed to touch my hand! I am royalty, after all."

"W-wha?" Margaret is able to see the soldiers sneaking up behind them. She gets the meaning of what Arthur just said. "But!"

"LEAVE, DAMMIT!"

Margaret, with teary eyes, gets up and runs off. Arthur turns around.

"Go get the elf." One of the soldiers says.

"No, you won't. I am surrendering myself in exchange of you leaving this town and not hurting anyone else."

A soldier raises his eyebrow. _'Whatevs. The emperor already ordered retreat'_

"Alright, cuff him guys."

"Prince Arthur. You are now a prisoner of the Sechs."

"I understand." A soldier cuffs him and then punches him; making his glasses fall of as he loses consciousness.

"Heh. Stupid fuck."

Lest enters the room of his children. "Dolce!"

"What is happening, Lest?" Dolce is still kneeling and hugging her children. Luna is crying uncontrollably and Noel is trying not to join her.

"The Sechs."

"But I thought Arthur said they had a better emperor now."

"Seems he was misinformed… It is the son of Ethelberd."

"God…"

"He is…" Lest rephrases his sentence. "He destroyed Selphia. Most of the buildings are already ravaged. We need to leave."

"Milady?" Pico appears out of thin air. "Should I check on Jones and Nancy?"

Dolce's eyes widen and preoccupation is clear on her face now.

"Where are them, Lest?! Please tell me you saved them!"

Lest looks away from Dolce, which means just one thing. Dolce's eyes tear up and she leans on Lest. He hugs her as she cries.

"I…" Lest's voice is weak, it seems he doesn't want to speak about it. "I was able to save Nancy."

Dolce looks at him, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"Seriously?!"

"Yes. But there wasn't anything I could do for Jones."

Flashbacking to the part on where Lotherberd left, Lest is seen running towards the clinic.

"Please, be safe. Please, be safe." His look is filled with worry as he runs.

When he arrives to the clinic, he spots Nancy trying to revive Jones. Lest is shocked, but goes there as fast as he can.

"What happened?"

Nancy is too agitated to talk.

"We were… And then the Sechs… A bomb… Jones…"

As she tries to revive him, her tears fall all over Jones' body, which is pretty ragged and hurt all over.

Lest puts his hands on Nancy's shoulders.

"Nancy…"

"NO! I won't leave him!"

"NANCY, LISTEN TO ME!"

Nancy stops her futile attempt to revive her husband.

"W-what?"

"Jones… Is already death."

Nancy's eyes widen; unwilling to accept the truth, she hugs herself.

"No…"

"YES, HE IS! You… you have to let him go. Dolce and Pico are still waiting for you."

"Dolly and… Pico." Nancy gets up, her tears still pouring down her cheeks. She wipes them down with her arm. "You… you're right. We need to leave. Please, show me the way."

Lest guides Nancy to the airship, where all the other villagers are already. Ventuswill carries her in her back and puts her there, since the Sechs destroyed the bridge.

"Now, your wife and kids are the only ones left. Go get them, Lest." Ventuswill instructs him and he runs off.

Lest hurries over to the airship, now with both Dolce and his children.

"They were the last ones, Venti."

"Good, we need to leave."

"I'll drive, since Arthur… couldn't make it."

Using the airship, the remaining villagers leave the now crumbled and reduced to dust town of Selphia.

There's a dead silence all across the ship. Lest raises his voice.

"How many did we lose?"

The question strikes hard to everyone, what they had been reluctant to accept is now put in front of their faces, and asking for an answer.

"We… We lost Blossom, Porcoline, Bado, Jones, Lin Fa and Yang Fa." Clorica answers Lest, while both her and Vishnal are tending to Volkanon's wounds.

"D-don't forget… Arthur." Margaret raises her voice slowly, fearful of what judgement and punishment her fellow villagers will impose on her for letting Arthur be captured.

"It is not your fault, Margaret. It just… happened." Dylas puts his hand on Margaret's shoulder and she takes it.

"Thanks… But still."

"WE HAVEN'T LOST!" Lest shouts from where he is. Everyone turns to look at him, some with amaze on her face. Dolce looks at him with a sweet smile on his face, though she is still teary eyed. "We are still here! We will not let everyone's sacrifice be in vain… They now live through us, and we now live to honour their memory."

Doug gets up and wipes with his arm the tears he had on his face.

"You're right. We are going to get back on the Sechs, for sure!"

Doug raises his fist, but no one follows except from Lest. Doug blushes a little, but Lest puts up a reassuring smile and his eyes fill with determination. He takes a deep breath before shouting.

"OHHHH!" Lest raises his fist again and this time, everyone follows.

Ventuswill appears, flying next to them.

"I know of a place we'll all be safe. Follow me." Ventuswill turns right and Lest goes after her in the airship. _'I just hope they do the same.'_


End file.
